Anything that chips away at the use of child and forced labor is good news. A loophole allowing goods to enter the US even if they had been made with child or forced labor has been closed. The Tariff Act of 1930 said that if there was not enough supply to meet US demand, the goods could come in regardless. Since then the act was used a mere 39 times to block forced labor, the last time being in 2000. The language has now been changed, and goods will no longer be allowed in if (more…)
Governance
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Money Misapplied
Perhaps you read or remember the series of articles the NYT ran about the conditions of nail salons, places where manicurists were exploited and underpaid. The series elicited a response from Albany where Ron Kim, a New York State assemblyman was instrumental in passing legislation protecting nail salons workers from wage fraud. Now he’s done an about face and is no longer standing behind the statute he helped passed saying that it needs amending. What happened in the middle is a fascinating story of American politics at its best—or should I say at its worst. The salon owners began (more…)
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A Blot on Our Conscience
Some issues are taxing, they demand a lot from us, what to do with and about migrants and refugees is such an issue. Closing of borders, deportations are common and easy. But the reality may require more from us. In several parts of the world notably at the present in Europe and in the US/South American borders the problem is unavoidable and poignant. A recently published report by both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund foresees the problem as continuing and in larger proportions if demographic trends and national policies do not take it into account. It states that the growth of the problem is not inevitable, but given that policy makers (more…)